Continuously Learn What Works

Health care contains problems needing fixed. How can we continually learn from experience, accumulate that experience to inform future choice-making and action?

Proem

When first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, my neurologist told me he was expert in treating groups of people (populations) with MS, but he didn’t know crap about me. His job was to learn about me, and my job was to learn about MS. I shared what was important to me in my life, and he taught me about MS and treatments. We slowly learned what worked for me in care and treatment and what didn’t and re-examine year after year.

In last week’s podcast episode, we chatted with Duane Reynolds from the Just Health Collaborative. He guides health systems in creating cultures of belonging, enabling a fair and just opportunity for everyone to achieve optimal health. I wonder what worked and what didn’t among the interventions his clients tried?

When I worked at Boston Children’s Hospital, I was fascinated by their Cardiology Department’s Standardized Clinical Assessment And Management Plans (SCAMPs) to promote, not require, care standardization. SCAMPs “offered a clinician-designed approach to promoting care standardization that accommodates patients’ individual differences, respects providers’ clinical acumen, and keeps pace with the rapid growth of medical…